A known solid state laser purported to have transverse mode control is characterized by a substrate channel and a current confinement structure on either the substrate or non-substrate side of the laser. The current confinement structure may take the form of a non-substrate contact or a pair of current blocking junctions boardering the substrate channel. Waveguiding of the optical power of the laser is controlled by establishment of an index of refraction differential, which differential has (1) a fixed (or channel guiding) component, due to the fixed difference of equivalent index of refraction between the channeled region and the regions adjacent to the channel, and (2) a varying component related to a varying current density profile. If the current confinement structure has a width comparable to the width of the substrate channel, then the pump current density profile in the region of the laser beam varies with the increasing light output intensity (increasing pump current) and, as a result, the index of refraction varies and waveguiding is influenced. That influence results in the laser having a non-linear or kinked power output vs. pump current profile. The kinks are the result of the movement of the laser mode along the plane of the laser p-n junction because of the light induced variations in pump current density profile. Such movement and non-linear power vs. current characteristic make it difficult to utilize the laser in a practical application.